American War Production Mission in China, 1944-1945 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
Collection Overview
Title: American War Production Mission in China, 1944-1945
Extent: 19.66 Cubic Feet
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Collection Historical Note
President Roosevelt, on August 18, 1944, asked Donald M. Nelson, Chairman of the War Production Board, to go to China as the President's personal representative to see what could be done to help China get on her feet economically. He was to concern himself both with China's ability to continue in the war with Japan and with her postwar future. Mr. Nelson, heading what was first known as the Nelson Mission to China, left Washington for Chungking on August 25, 1944, taking with him as his assistants two War Production officials--Edwin A. Locke, Jr., Assistant Deputy Director, Priorities Division, and James A. Jacobson, Special Assistant in the Executive Office of the Chairman. The Mission was to investigate and make recommendations. Mr. Nelson was to assemble facts, listen to the Chinese estimate of the current situation, and then draw his own conclusions.
Mr. Nelson and his assistants held many meetings with Chinese Government officials, Chinese businessmen, and Ambassador Gauss and other American representatives in China. The Mission was provided by the Chinese with such statistics as were available on resources, expenditures, production, imports and exports, transportation, prices, and requirements. Mr. Nelson recommended the creation of a Chinese War Production Board, along the lines of an American War Production Board. The agency should have as its goal the full and effective utilization of Chinese production facilities and should have sufficient authority to bring this about. With a feeling of mutual understanding established, the Nelson party returned to Washington on September 24, 1944.
On October 4, 1944, Mr. Nelson reported to President Roosevelt on his visit to China and recommended a number of steps the United States should take to strengthen China's war economy. They were that the Foreign Economic Administration's Economic Mission then at Chungking should be substantially strengthened; that a Joint China-United States Production Committee should be established to coordinate the supply and production problems of the two countries; and that aircraft should be allocated to the China National Aviation Corporation for the India-China service. These recommendations and a request to President Roosevelt from Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek that Mr. Nelson be sent back to China as soon as possible to assist him with a plan for China's reconstruction both during and after the war prompted the President to ask Mr. Nelson to make another trip to China.
On November 9,1944, the American War Production Mission in China, as it was known until V-J Day, left from Washington for Chunking and arrived there on November 16,1944. On the staff were Donald M. Nelson, Personal Representative of the President; Edwin A. Locke, Jr., his assistant; Howard Coonely, deputy in charge of the Mission in Chungking, formerly Director of Conversation, War Production Board; James A. Jacobson, assistant deputy in Chunking; five iron and steel specialties; and one alcohol production specialist. Other specialists joined the Mission later. The Mission deputies and technical experts attended meetings of the Chinese War Production Board, of its staff and technical committees, and of the appropriate industry advisory committees and subcommittees. The Mission also correlated its activities with these of representatives from the American Embassy, the Foreign Economic Administration, the Office of Strategic Services, the Office of War Information, and the United States China Theater Command. The industry programs that were carried on began with iron and steel and industrial alcohol and grew to include all the important war production industries of Free China. Through the technical programs, the Mission came into close contact with Free China's industrial structure and built up a body of information that made possible a realistic industrial understanding of the Chinese economy. By means of these programs, the Mission provided definitive, tangible assistance to the Chinese industry both for war purposes and for the postwar economy. Donald M. Nelson resigned on May 15, 1945 and was terminated in November 1945. Mr. Locke submitted his report to the President on December 18, 1945.
Administrative Information
Repository: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum
Access Restrictions: These records contain documents restricted in accordance with Executive Order 12065.
Acquisition Method: The records of the American War Production Mission in China were accessioned by the National Archives and placed in Record Group 220, Records of Presidential Committees, Commissions and Boards. On July 22, 1959, they were transferred to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library. These records are in public domain.
Other Note: Note to Researchers: This collection was rehoused in July 2006, and box numbers have changed slightly. If you have used a previous version of this finding aid, please cross-reference against this new finding aid to ensure that you are ordering the correct box.
Box and Folder Listing
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Box 1
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Agriculture and Forestry (1 of 2)
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Agriculture and Forestry (2 of 2)
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Air Cargo Priorities-W.P.B.
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Airports
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-General (1 of 2)
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-General (2 of 2)
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-Itineraries
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Control Commission
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-Meetings and Conferences (1 of 2)
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-Meetings and Conferences (2 of 2)
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-Miscellaneous Reports (1 of 2)
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Box 2
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-Miscellaneous Reports (2 of 2)
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-"A Plan Proposed for Improving Alcohol Industry in China"
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol Plants
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Brief Statement on
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-Production-Consumption Requirements
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Alcohol-Facts and Figures (1 of 2)
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Alcohol-Facts and Figures (1 of 2)
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-Raw Materials Control
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Alcohol-Liquid Fuels, Alcohol-Storage Facilities
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American Embassy Reports (1 of 5)
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American Embassy Reports (2 of 5)
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Box 3
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Box 4
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Box 5
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Box 6
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Coal Washing
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China Mission: Coal and Coke (1 of 2)
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China Mission: Coal and Coke (2 of 2)
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Cooperatives
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Correspondence: E. A. Locke, Jr. to J. A. Jacobson (1 of 3)
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Correspondence: E. A. Locke, Jr. to J. A. Jacobson (2 of 3)
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Correspondence: E. A. Locke, Jr. to J. A. Jacobson (3 of 3)
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Correspondence: from J.A. Jacobson to E.A. Locke, Jr. (1 of 2), September 1944-July 1945
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Box 7
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Correspondence: from J.A. Jacobson to E.A. Locke, Jr. (2 of 2), September 1944-July 1945
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Correspondence: from J.A. Jacobson to E.A. Locke, Jr. (1 of 2), August-November 1945
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Correspondence: from J.A. Jacobson to E.A. Locke, Jr. (2 of 2), August-November 1945
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Correspondence: from E.A. Locke, Jr. To Mission Members
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Correspondence: from Mission Members to E.A. Locke, Jr. (1 of 2)
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Correspondence: from Mission Members to E.A. Locke, Jr. (2 of 2)
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Correspondence: between D.M Nelson and Mission Members
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Correspondence: between Mission Members
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Correspondence: Termination of American Production Mission
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Box 8
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Crucibles
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Dehydration
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Diary First Nelson Mission to China
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Diary Log and Travel Orders (Second Trip)-China
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Diary and Log of the Hurley-Nelson Mission-China
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Current Economic Situation-China (1 of 2)
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Current Economic Situation-China (2 of 2)
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Economic Conditions-China (1 of 2)
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Economic Conditions-China (2 of 2)
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Electrical Equipment
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Equipment-Inventories
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Executive Committee on Economic Foreign Policy (1 of 2)
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Executive Committee on Economic Foreign Policy (2 of 2)
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Box 9
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Box 10
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Foreign Economic Administration, "Report on Lend Lease Aid to China"
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Foreign Economic Administration (Report) (1 of 2)
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Foreign Economic Administration (Report) (2 of 2)
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Formosa
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Henderson Mission
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Imports-Civilian Commodities
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Industry, General Reports on China (1 of 3)
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Industry, General Reports on China (2 of 3)
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Industry, General Reports on China (3 of 3)
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Industrial Management Association
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Industrial and Mining Adjustment Administration
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Industrialization of China
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Box 11
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Box 12
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Box 13
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Interdepartmental Committee on Economic Policy toward China (1 of 2)
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Interdepartmental Committee on Economic Policy toward China (2 of 2)
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International Training Administration, Inc.-China
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Investments Subcommittee-China
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Iron and Steel Production-Blast Furnaces and Pig Iron
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Iron and Steel Production-Steel Production (1 of 3)
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Iron and Steel Production-Steel Production (2 of 3)
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Iron and Steel Production-Steel Production (3 of 3)
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Box 14
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Iron and Steel Production
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Iron and Steel Production-Foundry Practice
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Iron and Steel Production-Iron Ore, Conference on Demand and Supply of
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Iron and Steel Production-Iron Ore
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Iron and Steel Production-Iron and Steel Advisory Committee
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Iron and Steel Production-Steel Production-Production Figures on
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Iron and Steel Production-Rolling Mills
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Iron and Steel Production-Wire Drawings and Tinning
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Iron and Steel Production-Itineraries
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Iron and Steel Production-Leather Tanning
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Laws
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Lend Lease (1 of 4)
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Lend Lease (2 of 4)
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Lend Lease (3 of 4)
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Lend Lease (4 of 4)
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Box 15
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Box 16
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Box 17
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Box 18
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Nelson Trip to China (3 of 4), August-October 1944
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Nelson Trip to China (4 of 4), August-October 1944
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New Digests (1 of 3)
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New Digests (2 of 3)
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New Digests (3 of 3)
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Personnel-Reports, Lists and Miscellaneous (1 of 2)
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Personnel-Reports, Lists and Miscellaneous (2 of 2)
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Personnel-Employment Applications in China
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Personnel-Transportation for, in China
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Box 19
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Petroleum-Liquid Fuels-Petroleum (1 of 2)
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Petroleum-Liquid Fuels-Petroleum (2 of 2)
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Petroleum-Port Program
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Post War Planning-Post War Industrialization, Planning and Reconstruction (1 of 3)
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Post War Planning-Post War Industrialization, Planning and Reconstruction (2 of 3)
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Post War Planning-Post War Industrialization, Planning and Reconstruction (3 of 3)
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Box 20
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Box 21
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Box 22
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Production Programs
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Production Statistics-Production, General Data on
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Production Statistics-Production, Indices, on Industrial
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Production Statistics-Production Figures on Industry in Occupied China, Formosa and Manchuria
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Production Statistics-CWPB Production Statistics, November 1944-February 1945
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Progress Reports-2nd Mission
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Progress Reports (by J. A. Jacobson), September 25, 1944
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Projects-Report of First Mission
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Public Procurement
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Publicity-Nelson Mission and Chinese War Production Board (1 of 2)
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Box 23
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Publicity-Nelson Mission and Chinese War Production Board (2 of 2)
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References-Authorities
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Reports-Mission Data Report, Summary of the Facts Obtained by the First Mission, September 1944
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Reports-Iron and Steel-First Mission's Report
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Reports-Memorandum on Japan's Industrial Development (2 reports)
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Reports-Report of the First Steel Group of the Nelson Mission to China (3 reports)
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Reports-Memoirs of Mineral resources of the Geological Survey of Szechwan
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Reports-Report; Gavin, M.J., Kansu
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Reports-Report; China-Excepts from China's Destiny
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Box 24
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Reports-Report on the Kansu Petroleum Production and Refining Administration
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Reports-China Reports; Rich, Dr. John on the Szechwan Basin Personal Report (5 reports)
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Reports-Personal Report; H.H. Fowler to Donal Nelson; Correspondence on China Mission-Datat Report
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Reports-Nelson Mission (Coonley Report)
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Reports-China Mission Data Report: A Summary of facts Obtained by the first Nelson Mission, September 1944
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Reports-Bosch report (Shanghai)
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Box 25
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Box 26
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Box 27
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Box 28
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Transportation-Chrysler Project (1 of 2)
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Transportation-Chrysler Project (2 of 2)
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Transportation-Gasogenes
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Transportation-Higgins Boats, H. LeHoy Whitney (1 of 2)
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Transportation-Higgins Boats, H. LeHoy Whitney (2 of 2)
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Transportation-Highway General Reports
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Transportation-Department of Transportation, Department Priorities Requirements
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Box 29
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Transportation-Railway
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Transportation-Communications (1 of 2)
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Transportation-Communications (2 of 2)
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Transportation-War Transportation Board
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Transportation-Water
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Transportation-U.N. Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (1 of 3)
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Transportation-U.N. Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (2 of 3)
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Box 30
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Transportation-U.N. Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (3 of 3)
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War Production Board-Advisory Committee
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War Production Board-Budget
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War Production Board-Chinese Merit Awards-Personnel
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War Production Board-Debt Reports, Semi-Annual, June 30, 1945
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War Production Board-Finance Committee
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War Production Board-General (1 of 2)
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War Production Board-General (2 of 2)
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War Production Board-Office Equipment
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Box 31
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Box 32
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Box 33
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Box 34
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Box 35
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War Production Board Reports-China-Reports 57 & 58
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War Production Board Reports-China-Reports 59 & 60
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War Production Board Reports-China-Reports 61 & 62
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War Production Board Reports-Distribution of Reports
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War Production Board Reports-Master Conference File (Top Secret)
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War Production Board Reports-Memoranda on Mission Conferences (1 of 3), August-September 1944
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Box 36
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War Production Board Reports-Memoranda on Mission Conferences (2 of 3), August-September 1944
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War Production Board Reports-Memoranda on Mission Conferences (3 of 3), August-September 1944
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War Production Board Reports-Mission Staff Notes on Conferences
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War Production Board Reports-Miscellaneous Reports (3 reports)
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Box 37
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War Production Board Reports-Inventory of Chinese Government Supplies Stored in India
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War Production Board Reports-The Post War Market of China
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War Production Board Reports-Notes on China (Report)
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War Production Board Reports-China after Seven Years of War (Report)
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War Production Board Reports-Symbols appearing on Original Chinese Maps (Report)
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War Production Board Reports-Gazetteer to Maps of Formosa (Taiwan)
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War Production Board Reports-Gazetteer to Maps of Korea (Chosen)
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Box 38
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Box 39
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